Evading Embers
by Ladie in Lace
Summary: When the mechanic shop burned down, Leo didn't think his life could get any worse. When you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up, right? As Leo began his life living in foster homes and on street corners, he realized how terribly wrong he had been. (Leo's time in foster care and on the streets before the Wilderness School, angst and dark themes)
1. Ashes, Ashes We All Fall Down

**This is a story about Leo Valdez and his life before his time at the Wilderness School. To warn you, it's gonna be pretty dark at some points. I honestly don't know what the rating should be, so I'll keep it at T unless I feel the need to change it.**

 **It will cover some serious topics, and I'm not much of a planner, but I am going to put trigger warnings for a lot of things in the future. I'll put the warnings chapter by chapter for you guys.**

 **Heroes of Olympus is not mine, and neither is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Cover art is by _Viria_ (check her out). **

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**_Eight._**

* * *

" _I'm so sorry." The paramedic said. "She didn't make it. I'm so sorry."_

 _Leo's brain was muddled, as if it had been filled with smoke. The lights of the ambulance created dancing spots in his eyes each time he blinked. An oxygen mask was being held over his mouth and nose. He had seen oxygen masks all the time on that television show he watched, the one about doctors, the one he watched with his mother. His mother…_

 _Leo stared at the paramedic and shook his head._

" _I'm so sorry." The paramedic said again, and Leo began to choke on a lump that had formed in his throat. His eyes became blurry, and he shook his head harder, tears leaping from his eyes, that sentence repeating in his head over and over_ , I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry _, growing louder and louder, the sirens enveloping him, making him unable to hear the muffled noise of his own sobbing as he began to struggle with the paramedic, struggling to get out, he had to get out, he had to go see her, he had to see his mama-_

Leo shot up, gasping in the darkness. He blinked rapidly and looked around, terrified that he might still be in that ambulance, terrified that he would hear those words again, terrified that he would smell the smoke, the smell of smoke and the smell of burnt flesh, that awful charcoal-

 _Stop_ , Leo thought, squeezing his eyes shut so tightly it hurt and grabbing his chest. _Stop it_.

He opened his eyes again and saw that they had adjusted to the light. Leo was sitting up on a stiff cot. Someone had placed a rough gray blanket over him as he slept. It was on the floor now. He guessed that he had kicked it off. There was another bed above him, almost brushing the top of his head.

He looked around and realized that the room he was in contained about five bunk beds, all of them looking as uncomfortable as his. He began to remember where he was.

He was in a police station. It was a Wednesday; at least that was what Leo thought. He had been in a foster care institution only two days before. It hadn't been that bad. A nice young lady named Diana had been looking after him. She said she worked for die fist, whatever that meant. It didn't sound too good, but she had assured him it meant she watched over children and kept them safe. She and this older woman had spoken to Leo, asked him questions. The questions were scary. He didn't like them, and he had refused to answer some of them. He knew it was their job to ask questions, but he just couldn't talk. He just couldn't.

Though, it had been nice when Diana asked him questions in Spanish. It had made him feel safer, as if he was back in the workshop, fiddling with some oily piece of machinery as his mother sang along to _Cruz de Madera_.

Now he missed Diana. She had also bought him a soda, the orange kind. It was his favorite.

On Sunday night she had taken him from the facility and had driven him to another facility three hours away. Leo had slept through most of the ride, which was good, because he sometimes got carsick on long rides. Once at the new facility, Diana had brought him inside and introduced Leo to a police officer. His name had been Cruz, Officer Cruz, and he had been really funny. He kept making jokes. Diana had said goodbye to Leo, and then Leo got into Officer Cruz's police cruiser. Officer Cruz said that he called it _The Cruzer,_ and that name was stamped to the driver side door _._ From there, Leo had been driven another two hours back toward his hometown to the police station he was now in. He had been so tired he had fallen asleep on a chair in a waiting room of some sort, and somebody must have carried to where he was now. Leo was glad for some sleep, though brought dreams, and Leo wasn't sure he could handle them.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Leo slid out of bed. He swayed a bit, his legs not quite awake yet. He began to make his way toward the end of the room, trying to walk lightly in case there were other sleeping bodies in the vicinity.

He made it to the door and stood on his toes to look through the little square window. Bright yellow light made it almost impossible to see out, but Leo thought he could see a hallway. He fell back on his heels and grabbed the cold metal door handle, pulling the door toward himself. It squealed loudly. The hinges needed oil. He cautiously stepped into the bright hallway.

"Hey!" A loud voice yelled. Leo jumped against the door frame, startled, his dark eyes wide. A tall policeman was standing beside the door, staring down at Leo.

"Hey." Leo said breathlessly. The officer stepped toward him, and Leo flattened against the door frame. The officer put his hands up in front of him.

"Hey, hey, calm down little buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you. What are you doing out here?"

Leo swallowed hard. "I was just looking around."

The officer laughed. "Well do your looking around in there, little man. I'm supposed to keep you from wandering away."

"Why?" Leo asked. The officer's smile faded.

"To keep you out of trouble, little man. Though now that you're up and awake, I guess I can just take you over to see Hoover."

"Hoover?"

"Yeah, he's my boss. He's going to talk to you, okay?"

"What about my mom?"

The officer paused then shook his head no.

Leo looked at the man incredulously. "Will Officer Cruz be there?"

"Yep, he'll be there too. Let's get going little man. Come on." The officer said. Leo allowed the man to take his hand. The officer's hand was calloused, like his own. That fact made Leo trust the guy, if only a little. Leo was lead down the brightly lit hallway and into another larger room filled with people. There were rows of chairs against the walls.

Some were occupied, some were not. Those that were occupied made Leo nervous. Some of the people in them were handcuffed to their black plastic arm rests. There was one man who looked like he might be homeless. He was very dirty, and his lips were moving silently in a one sided conversation. As Leo watched, the man's bright eyes fixated on him, and he shuddered, squeezing the officer's hand a bit harder. The officer looked down at him and smiled.

"Don't worry, these guys are cuffed, they can't get to you." He said as he ruffled Leo's black mop of curls. "And we're heading into another room anyway."

They approached a large crescent shaped desk, and the officer, who Leo still didn't know the name of, began speaking in hushed tones with a woman sitting behind it.

Leo let his eyes wander around the room as they had their conversation. The dirty old man was still staring at him. Leo forced himself to look away. He began to survey others in the room. There was a teenage boy with sandy blond hair that was cuffed to another chair. His cheek was cut. A plum colored bruise was swelling beneath his left eye. A few seats away, a woman sat with her legs crossed. Her black boots rose up to her thighs, and the stiletto heels looked worn. One was held together with duct tape. Leo looked at her face, and saw that she was pretty old, maybe even as old as his tía. Her eyes looked tired. They were droopy and bloodshot. Deep wrinkles lined her face. Her makeup was garishly bright.

Leo felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come on kid. We're heading to an interview room."

"An interview room?" Leo asked. The officer nodded.

 _Interview. That's like a talk, right? With questions. Questions…_

"Yep. It's this way, right down this hallway." The officer pulled him toward an opening and began leading Leo down a hallway.

"What's your name?" Leo asked as they passed a door.

"You can call me Joe, little man. Or Officer Rickson. Either is fine with me."

"Joe." Leo decided. Joe laughed heartily. Leo found himself smiling. He liked Joe's graying stubble and slightly out of shape body. He was the type of guy that looked like everyone's uncle; the kind of uncle that slipped you soda under the table and gave you loose change "for the slots".

"Here we are, kid. I can't go in there with you, but Officer Cruz and Hoover will be there waiting. You ready?" Joe asked, crouching slightly in front of Leo. They had arrived at an open door.

"What are they going to ask me?"

"I don't really know. But they might get a little tough on you, kid. And if you start to feel scared, just tell them, and they should stop. Go on in." Leo felt a hand push him on the small of his back, and he was ushered into the room.

The door was shut behind him. The room was very bright, and for a moment, Leo had to shield his eyes. A flicker of memory rushed through his mind. _Bright. Like fire._ Then it was gone. When they adjusted, he warily assessed his surroundings. There was a bright light bulb hanging from the ceiling, and it was casting an electric light over a metal table. Two people sat at the far end of the table, one familiar, one not.

Officer Cruz sat to the left, and the other man, who Leo assumed was Hoover, sat to the right. There was a single chair on the other side of the table.

"Hey Leo, come sit." Cruz said. He stood up and walked over to Leo, leading the child to the empty seat. Leo clamored up and shifted, trying to get comfortable. Cruz sat back down, a smile still lighting up his face, though it was different now. It seemed a little bit sad.

Leo glanced at Hoover. Hoover was older, old enough to be Leo's abuelo. His face was stern, but his eyes were softer. He had thin lips, and even thinner gray hair.

"Hello Leo." Hoover said with a slight smile that wasn't friendly, but wasn't cruel either. "How are you doing? Did you have a nice nap?"

Leo nodded and bit his lip, fidgeting with his hands and tapping his foot.

"That's good, little buddy." Cruz said. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"We're going to ask you some questions about the fire, okay?" He said. Leo froze, his mouth immediately going dry. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry Leo, but this is very important, do you understand?" Hoover reasoned. Leo didn't want to talk. No, not about that not about

 _Fire_

He didn't want to think about it, he wasn't going to think about it, he had to keep it down, at the back of his mind, all the way at the back, buried deep, deep deep deep, deep in the

 _Ashes_

"No. I don't want to." Leo croaked. Hoover pursed his lips, and Cruz shifted uncomfortably.

"Leo. What happened that night. How did the fire start?" Cruz asked, leaning forward over the table. "You need to tell us, _chico_."

Leo found that he couldn't breathe. Smoke was filling is lungs, stinging his eyes, making them water, making him cough, covering him with ashes.

"Leo." Cruz said softly. "Cálmate."

Leo's found himself breathing heavily, tears streaming from his eyes. He realized that he had stood up. He was a foot away from the table. His fingers were clawing into his thighs.

Leo moved shakily toward the table and got back into the chair. Cruz looked concerned, and Hoover seemed undeterred. Cruz whispered something into Hoover's ear, but the older man shook his head.

"Leo." Hoover started, his tone hard. "You need to tell us. Please, Leo, this is for your own benefit."

Leo pushed his fists into the table, staring down. His ears buzzed.

"You're scaring me." Leo choked. He looked up at Cruz and saw pity in the man's eyes. But they didn't stop asking questions, as Joe had said. Joe had lied. The small amount of trust Leo had for the man disappeared.

Cruz turned to Hoover and said aloud, "Maybe we can-"

"Cruz, if you can't handle a simple interview with a suspect, you shouldn't be in this field." Hoover said without looking at the other man. "We need to get this done. I don't need to remind you of the facts."

"Leo." Hoover said. The word _suspect_ was still resounding through the boy's skull. "Did you kill you mother?"

 _Kill her? Did I kill my mother? You silly man my mama isn't dead. She isn't dead. She isn't_

"Did you lock the door so your mother couldn't get out?"

"No!" Leo screamed through fresh tears. "No! I didn't lock her in, I didn't do it!" He was staring Hoover in the eyes now, though he could barely see the man through the tears. "I tried to get the door open! I tried! I tried to open it! It wouldn't!"

"Leo why wouldn't the door open?"

"The dirt lady did it." Leo cried. He knew they would believe him to be insane, just like they would believe him to be crazy if he told them anything strange from his past. If he told them about Tia Callida, about her tests, about his fire, they would lock him up in a padded room and never let him out.

"The dirt lady? She locked your mother in the room?"

Leo nodded.

Hoover grimaced. "Cruz, would you please leave the room."

"But-"

"That wasn't a request."

Cruz hesitated, and then stood. He gave one last pitying glance at Leo before leaving.

"Leo, I understand that you're a child. You're only eight. I get that. But kid, I've seen boys and girls younger than you do things worse than this. All I want from you is the truth."

Leo stuck his fists into his eyes and groaned, "I'm telling the truth."

"The fire started right where you were found, Leo. Right where you lay in the break room was where the fire was lit. The door into the mechanic shop was locked. And you were the only one who could have locked it, Leo. There was no dirt woman, don't play games with me. Tell me what happened."

Leo shut his eyes tight.

 _Was there no dirt woman? Was it just my imagination? Was I just imagining things, like the monsters under my bed? Did I light that fire all on my own? Am I just crazy?_

"Leo! What happened?"

Leo shook his head hard. He could smell it again. The smoke. That awful thick sour smell of burning, of something burning, of someone burning

"Leo, tell me!"

 _Leo could hear her screaming, he was barely conscious and she was so far inside, but he could hear her screaming, he could hear her crying, he could hear the pain in her voice as she cried out, wondering why her baby had set her on fire, wondering why he had wanted to burn her to a crisp, wanting to know why had he done this to her?_

"Leo. Tell me. Did you set the fire?"

Leo looked up slowly. His head trembled on his shoulders, as if his neck were all of a sudden too weak to hold it up. The tears had stopped flowing. Now Leo felt empty, yet he also felt filled up. Filled with chaos, too much of everything. His ears were ringing, and they felt filled up too.

Then Leo whispered, "I did it. I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. But I did it."

"What do you mean you didn't want to?"

"I couldn't control it. I just lit up. I lit everything up"

"You just lit up? Leo, have you set fires before?"

"I lit up once when I was sitting at a picnic table. It happens when I get really happy or really sad."

"Do you use matches?"

"No."

"What do you use?"

Leo stared at him and released a quiet, shaky sigh, his liquid eyes blank.

Hoover sighed deeply in return. "Come on Leo, you were doing so well."

Leo remained silent.

"Do you understand that fire is dangerous, Leo?"

Leo blinked and remembered the fire. He had seen it race from his hands, explode as he screamed, eating its way along beams, across tables, through walls. He could hear wood cracking, splitting, glass popping, metal screeching. It had destroyed everything.

"Yes." Leo whispered, his voice cracking. His eyes started to water again. He sniffled. His emotion was returning, and he didn't like it. He would rather not feel it. He would rather not feel anything.

Hoover leaned toward the crying child. "Leo. I don't think you wanted to kill your mom. I think you like fire, and I think this was an accident. I think maybe you locked your mom in the mechanic shop so she wouldn't see that you were playing around with fire outside. You didn't want to get in trouble."

Leo said nothing. This man would never understand. He would never get it.

"But Leo, you have to understand now. You can't play around with dangerous things like fire. Fire gets people killed, Leo, and now you know-"

" _She's not dead_." Leo hissed. Hoover recoiled slightly. He looked at Leo. He studied him.

He had thought earlier that this boy might have been some sort of rising sociopath, a kid obsessed with fire, an arsonist. But any suspicion of that still remaining in hoover's gut was gone now. This was an eight year old latino kid who had just lost his mother.

He was small for his age, and skinny too. His hair was a mess of black curls. Hoover wondered if the kid had taken a shower in the days since the fire. He most likely hadn't had a chance. Were there still ashes in this little kid's hair? Was there soot under his fingernails?

This child was broken. His eyes looked hollow. Hoover was suddenly reminded of a case he had been called into thirty years back. There had been a little girl he had taken from a foster home. She had been abused by her foster mother, beaten and battered. A neighbor had finally called the police, and Hoover had been the first to arrive. He had found the little girl sitting on a dirty mattress, which was on the floor. She was thin, very thin, and Hoover had found out later on that she had been starved as well as beaten. He had looked into eyes. They were dark eyes, black liquid voids, and they were broken. No, not broken; empty.

"Leo. It's okay. You didn't kill her. It was an accident, kid. It's okay." Hoover said gruffly. Then the boy really began to cry, curling in on himself like a wounded animal. The boy wrapped his little arms around his stomach and bent over, wracked with heavy sobs. Tears and snot was running down the kid's face.

Hoover was terrified. This child was gasping and coughing and leaking everywhere. He stood from his chair and walked over to the boy.

"It's okay." Hoover said. The boy pulled his legs up to his chest and jammed his face into his knees. Hoover placed a hand on the child's shaking back. "It's okay, kid. It's okay. I'm sorry about your mom. I'm sorry."

"Stay…away I m-might burn y-you." The child choked out, and Hoover felt his heart break a little. He put his arm around Leo in an awkward hug.

"You're not gonna burn anyone, Leo. You're a good kid. You're a good kid."

Leo was no longer trying to keep himself from lighting a fire, he just couldn't control himself. He waited for it to happen; he waited for the man to start screaming.

But it didn't happen. His fire didn't come. He didn't lose control. He felt no fire in his belly. Just a tight ball of nothing.

The man was hugging him. Leo was confused. This man, Hoover, who had yelled at him, who had asked him so many scary questions and hadn't stopped, was now hugging him, trying to comfort him. And he wasn't even getting burned.

 _He knows. He knows what I did. So why isn't he angry with me? Why isn't he disgusted_?

"You're going to be fine, Leo." Hoover said as he cleared his throat uncomfortably and pulled away. "I'm just going to take you over to my friend Dr. Laurence. She's a very nice lady. Okay?"

Leo lifted his head a little and looked at Hoover sideways.

"Okay." He whispered, the word so soft Hoover had to lean in to hear it.

"Okay."

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 **If you couldn't tell, "Die Fist" is DYFS. My mom works for them, but I still won't get everything correct, so don't sue me please, I know I will make many mistakes.**

 **These chapters are going to be pretty long compared to what I'm used to, and they will include lot's of detail! I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it! Sorry for my morose mood, I love you all! Til next time darlings.**


	2. Plastic Chairs and Jigsaw Floors

**Hello again, I hope you guys liked my first chapter. I know there are plenty of stories about Leo's time before the Wilderness School, but golly it's so interesting to write! (Did I really just use golly in a sentence?) Seriously, it is pretty cool to do. Anyway, I really hope this chapter is good! Sorry it's so short, I just felt like it should stop at the point it did. Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed last chapter! As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

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 ** _Eight._**

* * *

She was a young lady.

Her eyes were icy blue and sharp. Her hair, which was a silky pale yellow, was tied back in a loose ponytail. What had mama called hair like hers?

 _Blonde._

She had introduced herself as Dr. Laurence. Her voice was stronger than her appearance. It was confident, and intelligent, but not too strong. Not strong enough to be intimidating. Leo had almost decided to like her from the moment he saw her, but then he held himself back. He wouldn't trust these people. They lied.

 _Joe lied. He said they would stop asking if I told them I was scared. He said so. He said._

She was sitting in a little chair at a little table. It was red and yellow and reminded him of his sixth birthday party, the one where his mama had invited Giggles the clown. She had also invited a lot of her family, more than she usually did. Aunt Rosa had been there with her son Raphael. Some of mama's cousins, too. But Leo mostly remembered his tía. She yelled at him that day, yelled at him for putting his elbows on the table, a table like this one. Then she had curled her lip and whispered so his mom couldn't hear, " _Aprenda algunos modales bastardo sucio_." She hadn't even brought a present.

"Leo. Did you hear me?" Leo jumped, startled back from the past by Dr. Laurence and her sweet yet steady voice. "I said you can sit down over here." She gestured to the other colorful plastic chairs surrounding the table. A tan teddy bear lay on its side near the plastic foot of one of the chairs. Leo sat on that chair. It was blue.

He placed his hands in his lap and looked around the room. It was painted baby blue, and it was soothing. Toys of various sizes were scattered around the room and in plastic bins. There were two bookcases against the left wall. They were filled with books, probably children's books. A few of them had been left on the foam puzzle piece floor. Leo looked to his right and saw a crescent shaped sofa. It looked very poofy. He felt the urge to jump on it. A week earlier, he would have done it in a heartbeat. But he was too tired to do that, now. Too tired.

"How are you feeling, Leo?" Dr. Laurence asked. Leo shrugged. He tapped his fingers against the table rhythmically. He found himself beginning to tap in Morse code.

"You?"

Dr. Laurence smiled. "I'm doing alright. This morning I was a little tired, but I'm better now. What about you? Are you tired?"

Leo looked at the sofa again and swallowed slowly. He shrugged.

"You couldn't have gotten much sleep on that hard cot."

Leo sniffed and shifted in his tiny seat. He wondered if most eight year olds could fit in the same chair, or if most of them had to sit on the sofa. Leo was small, and he knew it. He looked like a baby. That was what cousin Marco, who was ten, called him. Bebé. That and _mopa cabeza_ were Marco's favorite nicknames for Leo. Leo wasn't even sure if Marco was his cousin. He lived with Aunt Rosa and cousin Raphael, but he wasn't her son. Leo wondered if Marco disliked her as much as he himself did.

"Leo. I'd like to talk about your mother. Is that alright?"

Leo's dark eyes rolled to look at her. He didn't blink.

"What was her name?"

"Her name." Leo began his, voice growing angry. "Is Esperanza Valdez."

Dr. Laurence blinked. Had she told Leo her first name? He felt that she had. He couldn't remember it, though. It had been the name of a flower. _Rose? Violet?_

"What did she look like, Leo?" Her voice was very soft, very kind. _Lily._ Her name was Lily.

Leo's lips twitched, trying to smile. "Her eyes are pretty. They're brown like chocolate. And her skin is my color, only a little darker. Her hair is crazy. It's even fluffier than mine is, it sticks out unless she uses mousse. She tried to use it on me once." Leo giggled, surprising himself. "She said I looked like a greaser."

"She sounded very beautiful. What did she like to wear?"

Leo's smile faded and his eyes narrowed slightly.

What _did_ she wear. What _did_ she look like. What _was_ her name.

 _Did. Was. Did. Was. Did. Was. Di-_

"She loved her overalls." Leo said without thinking. He thought he saw a spark in Lily's eyes, a spark of pleasure, of accomplishment, and Leo's own eyes grew huge.

"Loves." He growled. "She loves them."

"Leo, why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why do you speak as if your mother is still here? We've lost her, Leo. She's gone to heaven."

 _we?_

 _We?_

 _WE?_

 _We've lost her? We? Have we, lily? Have we lost her? Mama is fine, I haven't lost anybody, you're the crazy one Miss Lily, you're the one who needs a padded room and a straight jacket and loony medicine because my mama isn't in heaven, she isn't flying with angels, she's down here with me, she's_

Burning

"Leo, do you know the meaning of the word denial?" Lily asked. Leo realized he had been staring at his hands and looked at her pale eyes instead. His mouth tasted like batteries.

"Yes." He began, his voice hard. "You're in it."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're in denial. You think mama's dead, but she's not and you're crazy."

"Leo your mother passed away in the fire. She's-"

"Don't!" Leo hissed, standing so quickly from his plastic blue chair that it flipped over. "Don't talk. Stop talking. I don't want to talk to you anymore. You're a liar. You're all liars."

 _The doctor in the ambulance, Officer Cruz, Joe; liars. All liars._

Leo quickly shuffled toward the sofa, looking over his shoulder to make sure Lily wasn't following. She wasn't, but she was watching him. Her expression seemed sad. Pitying.

 _She feels bad for me._

He walked over to the left side of the sofa and sat behind it next to the baby blue wall. He was out of sight, now. He pulled his legs up to his chest; a motion he seemed to be doing often. He rested his head on his knees and covered his eyes with his arms. Perfect.

He heard Lily stand and walk over to him. He tensed as he waited for her to put a hand on his shoulder or try to hug him, but she didn't. She sat on the sofa and sighed.

"I just need you to tell me how you're feeling, Leo. If you can do that, I'll stop asking about your mom. Okay? Deal?"

Leo paused.

Then he called out from his arms, "Deal."

"How do you feel? I mean, really. Are you tired?"

Leo nodded his head.

"Are you feeling sad?"

Leo shook his head no.

"Angry?"

No.

"Scared?"

No.

Lily paused. "Are you feeling nothing? Do you feel empty?"

Leo didn't nod his head, but he didn't shake it either. He wasn't sure if that was it. Was that it? Did he feel empty? Did he feel nothing at all?

He decided to nod his head.

"I just want you to know that this is perfectly normal. You're allowed to feel this way, and you shouldn't feel guilty. Have you been having nightmares?"

Leo nodded his head vigorously. He opened his eyes, as when they were closed he began to picture flames.

"Yeah." He croaked.

"Do they wake you up?"

"I don't know. It could be that, or the fact that I haven't slept in a real bed in days."

"Don't worry, Leo. We'll take care of that."

"Will you let me go home?" Leo asked, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

"Leo." Lily started, and Leo knew what she would say. "I'm very sorry, Leo, but you can't. You're going to be placed with a family that will take care of you."

Leo released a small sigh. "Yeah."

"What do you think of that, Leo?"

"I don't like it." Leo said, and suddenly he felt as if he would cry. His feelings were coming back, they were rushing back and they _hurt_. "I don't wanna leave my home with mama. I want to stay." He cried. He sniffed hard, trying to hold back his snot and tears.

"I'm scared."

Lily put a warm hand on Leo's curly head of hair.

"It's okay to be scared, Leo. And I understand that you're confused, I know that you're nervous about what's to come next. But if you have any questions, I'll answer them if I can."

"What's gonna happen to me?"

"Well." Lily began. "First we're going to see if any family members are able to take you in. If they aren't, then your social worker will find you a nice home with very nice people that will take care of you."

"I have lots of family. Someone will take me." Leo said confidently. "Will I get to see mama?"

Lily tilted her head and looked at Leo with an expression of…what? Annoyance?

"Are you angry?" Leo asked softly.

"No. I'm worried."

"Why?"

"We will talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay. Will I get to see mama?

"That." Lily said, a slightly sour expression crossing her face. "Is up to your aunt Rosa."

Leo looked at her with wide eyes and swallowed. His aunt Rosa was going to decide? Tia hated him, he knew it. She hated his _bastardo_ guts. She would keep him away from mama. She would take her away and never let him see her again.

"But…but she hates me." Leo sniffed.

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you, Leo. She's you auntie, she's family."

 _Tell that to her, Miss Lily._

"You'll see, Leo. She's coming in right now."

Leo's eyes widened. Lily stood from her place on the sofa. She crouched in front of the small boy, who seemed terrified.

"It'll be alright, Leo. She's here to make you feel better. She loves you."

Leo looked into Lily's pale blue eyes and considered it.

 _Could it be true? Does she love me? Is she going to hug me when she sees me? Is she going to pick me up and sing me a lullaby like mama would?_

"Are you ready?" She whispered. Leo groaned slightly and nodded his head. He was terrified. This was where it would be decided; would he see his mama or not? Lily took his hand lightly and pulled him to his feet. Leo clasped her dry hand tighter with his much smaller and much sweatier one.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Little baby Leo is (*spoiler* kind of) in the first stage of grief, my dear readers, and the fact that he's so young and ignorant only makes it harder for him to understand*. Sigh. So sad, so sad. I'm writing so seriously, it's weird for me. Thanks for reading, please review, it lifts my spirits and helps me write more!**


	3. Here is Your Mother

**Omigosh omigosh I'm so sorry this is so short, but like I said last time, it's where I feel I should end the chapter. Perhaps I will post next Wednesday as well as next Friday to make it up to you guys. I post every Friday if you guys haven't noticed the pattern.**

 **Thanks to you favoriters, followers, and reviewers, it means a lot.**

 **And thanks to Blackjack97 for your reviews since I can't pm you, this chapter will show how I made that interaction go down...**

* * *

 ** _Eight._**

* * *

"You said she wants to see me, right? She said so?" Leo asked tentatively. He was back in the waiting room of the police station, though he was sitting to the far left, nowhere near any of the people that had been taken in. The chairs around him were all empty except one. The one to his right was where Lily sat. She was holding his hand. Leo wondered if she could feel how sweaty it was.

He kept shifting in his hard plastic seat, turning and tapping his feet. It was the only way he could keep his anxiety in check; that, and examining the odd inhabitants at the other side of the waiting room from afar.

Lily squeezed his hand.

"That's what she told me on the phone." She said with a tight smile. Something in her voice made Leo scared. Lily didn't seem sure.

"You heard her say just that?"

"Yes, Leo. I asked her if she would want to see you, and she said of course. She said she's looking forward to it."

Leo felt the tight knot in his stomach relax. He released a small sigh.

"What about mama? Did Aunt Rosa say anything about mama? Did she say that she'll let me see her?"

"I guess we can talk about that when she gets here." Lily said lightly as she glanced at her silver watch. It flashed in the light as she moved her slender wrist, and Leo found himself almost overcome with the urge to grab it and take the back off of it. He wanted to see the inside. He wanted to see the gears. He felt his fingers twitch.

"She should be here any minute. She said she would hail a taxi." Lily sighed. Leo tried to smile up at her.

"She doesn't have a car. She says they are disgusting oily machines. I think she's crazy. Cars are great." He said. Lily laughed. Leo found his mood lifted by the sound. Good feelings. They were coming back to him a little at a time.

"You shouldn't call her crazy. She's your aunt." Lily warned, but she seemed to agree with the young boy's views.

They were both smiling slightly when Aunt Rosa entered the station.

The oak double doors were pushed in harshly as the woman walked in. She was of medium height, and she was overweight, but not overly so. Mama used to tell Leo that Aunt Rosa was "plump". She was in her late forties, or at least Leo thought she was. And she hadn't aged well.

The lines on her face were deep, especially her frown lines. Her lips were thin and taut. The leathery skin on her round face had sag to it, and although his mother's was smooth and beautiful, Leo was still reminded of his mama because the color was the same.

As Leo and Lily watched, Aunt Rosa strode quickly toward the front counter, her eyes bright and beady and her large canvas bag swaying. Her floral mustard muumuu flowed slightly as she walked.

She seemed to be talking furiously with the woman sitting behind the desk. As they spoke, Lily stood, leaving Leo on his chair. She began to walk toward Rosa when the woman behind the desk pointed a finger toward Leo. Aunt Rosa's bob of thick black hair shifted as she turned her head to look at him. Leo smiled hopefully, but that small grin slipped off his face as he looked into his Aunt Rosa's eyes. They were red rimmed and furious.

Lily stuck her hand out in greeting as Aunt Rosa walked toward her, but the latina woman wanted nothing to do with her. Rosa strode past the blonde and toward Leo, who stood from his chair and raised his arms slightly, the hope of a pleasant hug and greeting still in the young boy's mind. This was his tía. She was here to comfort him. She was family.

She raised her arms too as she rushed at him, and relieved tears sprouted in his eyes, because Leo could see himself in a few moments, being picked up, being embraced by his Aunt Rosa who had finally realized that she loved him, being told "Todo irá bien, Leo." _Everything will be okay._

Instead, Leo found his Aunt Rosa's steely fingers gripping his arms, digging into his skin like claws. Her broad nose was only inches from Leo's and still she screamed, "El Diablo! Why did you do it? Why did you kill my sister? _Why did you burn her up?_ Por qué, _tu Diablo_? _Tu te irá al infierno por esto!"_ She was shaking him, shaking him so hard he bit his tongue. He could taste the blood in his mouth.

 _What is she doing? Why is she hurting me? Burn? Why did I burn her up?_

And Leo could see the heat blistered hand, the charcoal hand sucked of all moisture, he could see it as they pulled her onto a gurney and placed her in a blue bag, he could see it as the paramedics lifted him onto his own gurney, he could _smell_ her, _he could smell her burnt flesh._

Leo started to scream, tears blinding his eyes and snot running from his nose. Someone tried pulling his Aunt Rosa away, maybe it was Lily, maybe it was someone else, Leo couldn't tell.

"¿Dónde está mi mamá?" He sobbed as his aunt's hands were pulled off of him. "Quiero ver a mi madre!" He screamed. Aunt Rosa's eyes seemed to bulge in her head.

"Quiero ver a mi madre? _Quiero ver a mi madre?_ " She shrieked at Leo, and for a moment Aunt Rosa escaped the person holding her back. She shoved her hands into her canvas bag and pulled out a ceramic vase before holding it in front of Leo's leaking eyes.

" _Here is your mother, you disgusting demon! Here she is! You burned her so badly she had to be cremated! Here she is in this urn! Your mother!_ " Rosa yelled, and she was crying too. "I brought her with me so I could show you what you've done you bastard!"

Leo climbed backwards onto his chair, scrambling against the wall in a desperate attempt to escape. His wide eyes were glued to the urn, and his mouth was open in a silent scream.

"You did this!" Aunt Rose screamed, and her free hand raced toward his cheek. Someone grabbed it before it could hit Leo, but the fact that she had tried to slap him shocked him. It shouldn't have, but it did. He found he could barely breathe as he watched his aunt being dragged away kicking and screaming like a child. The urn was taken from her before it could be dropped. Leo watched, horrified, as it was placed on the front desk.

Leo's eyes shot back and forth between his tía and the urn. His brain wouldn't seem to work.

Aunt Rosa was finally dragged out of the station all together by three officers. Their faces were red with effort. Her screams could be heard in the distance until the double oak doors swung closed. The station was suddenly deathly quiet. Leo stared at the people around him, and all of them were staring back. Then Lily, who Leo hadn't even noticed before then, ran toward him and hugged him. She was shaking.

"I'm so sorry Leo! I'm so sorry. I didn't know that would happen. I am so sorry." She said in his ear. Then she picked him up, he thought. He wasn't sure. His eyes were locked on the urn as he was moving. His dark eyes burned as they stared at that ceramic vase shaped object.

Everything seemed to settle within Leo's mind.

His mother was dead.

Lily carried him from the room, and Leo could no longer see his mother's urn. He closed his eyes as he was carried down a hallway.

 _She's dead._

"I'm so sorry." Lily whispered in his ear. "But don't worry, Leo. Someone will take you in."

Leo opened his eyes. Why would anyone take him in?

He was the devil.

* * *

 **Sorry for any grammar mistakes, especially with the Spanish. I've been in Spanish classes since I was 7 and yet I'm still not fluent.**

 **And if those of you non-spanish speaking guys would like to know what was said in Spanish, here you go.**

 **Aunt Rosa said to Leo, "Why, you devil? You will go to hell for this!"**

 **And later on, Leo was saying, "Where is my mama? I want to see my mother!"**

 **Guys, please please review. It really helps me out, because it gets more people to read, and in all honesty I'm proud of this story, so I want more of ya'll to read it! Gracias, mis amigos!**


	4. You Have To Be Twice As Good

**Sorry this is slightly late and so short! My friend asked to hang out today and I couldn't turn her down since I haven't seen her in a while, so I had less time to write. But I finished it just now! So hooray. Please read, review, and enjoy this chapter. The next one will be long I swear.**

 **Thanks SOO much to those of you who followed, favorited, and reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate it more than you can imagine, so thanks so so much.**

 **To you reviewers I couldn't PM-**

 **AthenaMonaLisa, I know this sounds awful, but it makes me happy that you are coming close to tears! It makes me feel I've done my job well. Perhaps I'll be able to make your tears fall soon! That sounds really strange lol but thanks for reviewing!**

 **BlackJack97, Yeah, you really were. Don't feel bad about that either X'D. Thanks for your review!**

 **QueenMoonlace, Thank you thank you! I will try to keep it up! Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

 ** _Eight._**

* * *

"So when's the last time you saw your great uncle Roberto?"

"I dunno." Leo mumbled as he stared out the foggy car window. He traced a smiley face on the glass with his finger before scribbling it out harshly. It had made him angry. He wasn't sure why. "When I was a little baby, probably."

Miss Liz, Leo's new social worker, turned to the backseat for a quick moment to smile at Leo before looking back at the road. Rain pelted furiously against the windshield. The water seemed to hover over the wet black pavement as they drove. It looked magical, but also a little melancholy. Lonely, even. The low visibility made it seem like the car was separated from the rest of the world; in a different plane of reality.

That gave Leo some comfort. But not much.

"I spoke to him on the phone. He seems like a very nice man. He seems to care a lot about you."

"Yeah. Just like Aunt Rosa, huh?" Leo rubbed his stomach. It was hurting him.

It was dark in the car, and Miss Liz was turned toward the road, but Leo could tell that she was frowning.

"Your Aunt Rosa is a very upset woman, Leo. Her sister just died." She said. Leo narrowed his dark eyes, anger burning in his stomach.

"So you think she's right." He stated venemously.

"What?"

"You think I'm the devil. You think I'm a bastard that killed my mama."

 _Well isn't that what I am?_

"Watch you language, Leo." She snapped. Her knuckles tightened on the steeringwheel. Leo crossed his arms and sat back in his seat, his stinging eyes staring defiantly at the misty window. A lump had formed in his throat. Not from saddness, but from frustraton. And anger.

Miss Liz sighed.

"I don't blame you for anything. You're eight years old, for christs sake. And you've done nothing that you don't regret. I empathize, Leo. I really do."

Leo continued his staring contest with the window. He had no idea what _empathize_ meant. But it sounded like this middle aged woman thought he was a trouble maker. He wasn't a trouble maker.

His mama had taught him how to behave. Sometimes it was difficult. Sometimes he made mistakes, like when he had stolen a watch from the department store when he was five. It had been so interesting. He just wanted to take it apart, see how it worked on the inside. His mama had found out though, and she had made him take it back. She made him apologize to the manager. He had cried the whole time. He had felt badly. Ashamed.

Later that night at the apartment, when Leo was sitting on his bed in his red pajamas, his mama had come into his room to explain to him. She said "Leo, do you know what our nationality is?" and Leo hadn't understood, so she had explained to him. "You are a mixture of a lot of different things, Leo, but the main thing you are is Mexican. Most of your family comes from Mexico. That's why our skin is dark, you see?" And she had touched his arm lightly while flashing him that brilliant smile of hers.

"But some people don't like that, because they don't really understand. And sometimes when people don't understand, they get angry. So even though it is never right to steal, mijo, especially for you, you must behave. You have to be twice as good, twice as nice, twice as hardworking than a lot of the other kids, Leo. Or else those angry people, they'll point fingers at you. They'll called you names, they'll accuse you of being a criminal. So you have to be good. You have to be very good." Then she had kissed him on the cheek and ran her calloused fingers through his hair as he shuffled under his covers.

"Do they get angry at _you_ , mama?" He had asked, his face very sad. He didn't want anybody to be mean to her. She was so kind, so warm. Who could ever be mean to his mama?

She had laughed. "Yes, Leo. Very angry, sometimes. And so I work even harder. You'll work hard too, mijo, right?"

Leo had nodded his head, and she had stood, making her way toward his bedroom door.

"Bueno."

Leo tapped his fingernails against the car window. It was cool to the touch. He didn't really want to think about his mom. He found that something odd was happening to him when he thought of her, now. Instead of saddness, he more or less just felt mad. Leo couldn't really understand why.

Was he mad at her? For dying?

 _No no it was my fault not hers._

 _So I am mad at me?_

"Leo, did you hear me?" Liz said, and the young boy was pulled from his little inner conversation.

"Que?" Leo said quickly.

"Use your English, Leo. This is Texas, not Mexico." She said with a chuckle. Leo felt it again. That burning in his stomach. He clenched his teeth, but said nothing. "I _said_ , you should make sure to get along with your classmates. You'll be starting up school again on Monday."

"What if they don't get along with me?"

"This is Sandersville, Leo. The kids will be well behaved."

"Sandersville?"

"Yes, it's a very nice little town. These people have well rounded values. I grew up here, myself."

"Oh." Leo whispered and he shut his tired eyes. He leaned his head against the cold glass and puffed a little sigh.

 _I wonder if any of the other kids have killed their mothers._

* * *

Leo awoke to the sound of tires over gravel. He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light. It was early morning, and the sun was still just peeking over the horizon. The air seemed to have a bluish quality to it as Leo looked out the window. He sat up as the car slowed to a stop.

They were parked alongside the curb of a small one story house. It was light green and well taken care of. The hedges were well trimmed, and daisies bloomed beneath the windows. Leo looked around the street and saw dozens of other houses that looked nearly identical. He realized that he was in a development. He had never lived in a development. It made him think of rich people, even though he knew that wasn't the case.

"You awake back there, Leo?" Miss Liz said as she turned around to look at him.

Leo groaned and she smiled. "This is your great uncle's house. Let's head out, alright?"

Leo stretched and slid his hand for the door handle. He had to pull it a few times, as his arm wasn't fully awake and his fingers kept slipping, but eventually it popped open. The cool morning air rushed to his skin and he shivered. It was fresh air, though, which the young boy was thankful for after all that time in the car. He hopped onto the dew covered grass and slammed the car door behind him, making Miss Liz glare.

"Hush, Leo. People are trying to sleep." She whispered. Leo shrugged. She started toward the door, motioning for Leo to follow. He hesitated, and then started forward, trying to rub the goose bumps out of his arms. There was an enormous ball of anxiety in his stomach. It was so big he felt like he might have to throw up in the hedges just to get rid of it. It would be a shame. They were some nice hedges.

Leo stood beside Miss Liz and tapped his shoe nervously. It almost came off his foot. It was too big. The shoes he was wearing had been given to him at the police station. His others had been covered in soot and the laces had been singed.

Miss Liz flattened her bob of brown hair and knocked on the door. They waited, Liz with a big grin on her face and Leo with his sweaty hands clenched nervously.

There was no answer.

Leo glanced down the street as a chubby woman in a pant suit left her house and walked to her sparkling white prius. He wondered if she was going to work.

Miss Liz knocked again, this time louder. The grin was slipping off of her face.

"I told him we would be here around six." She said.

"Is he a good guy?" Leo asked. He bit at his lip.

"Well, we did a background check, an interview, and a house inspection. He seems like a very decent fellow."

 _I really hope she's right._

She rung the doorbell this time, obviously annoyed. Leo waited with his ear on the door. He thought he could hear footsteps. He stood back and tried to stand straight. He wanted to look good, like a well behaved child. Otherwise his great uncle might reject him. Or maybe he would attack him like Aunt Rosa had.

The thought made his blood run cold.

What if that was it? What if this man had done all of this just to lure him here, just so he could hurt him? Just so he could punish Leo for what he had done? He hadn't been in Leo's life before, he hadn't come to his birthday parties, and he hadn't visited Leo's mama.

 _He's going to hurt me, he's going to slap me like t_ _í_ _a tried to, he's going to scream and yell and call me the devil because that's what I am, I'm a bastard and a devil that killed my mama. He's going to be so angry._

The door opened.

* * *

 **I actually split this chapter in two, which I wasn't planning to do at all in this story. But I suppose I might start doing it more often now. If you can't tell, racism is going to play a part in this story, so be prepared. I hope you guys liked it! Please review and make a miserable old fanfic writer happy.**

 **Also, tell me in the reviews how you think Roberto is going to be! Do you think he will be how Leo fears or no?**


	5. I'm a Bastard Too

**Hello again, here's another chapter. This is a day late because, of course, I spontaneously hung out with my two friends I haven't seen in a while yesterday and I slept over spontaneously as well. I just got home! I was going to finish the chapter on my phone and post it yesterday, but I decided it would be better to finish the chapter well and it be late rather than give you guys a crap chapter on time. So sorry! Read, review, and enjoy.**

 **Guest- I am sorry, I have held back my urge to write cliffhangers so far, but it is really difficult to keep from doing so. It's my trademark lol. Thanks for your review.**

 **Blackjack97- Yes I very much agree, it's a terrible shame. Thanks for your review!**

* * *

 _ **Eight.**_

* * *

Leo's first impression of great uncle Roberto was that he looked permanently annoyed. He had a wide nose like Aunt Rosa, and it was scrunched slightly as if he smelled something foul. His small dark eyes were watery and pink. His eyelids were droopy, much like the rest of his tan leathery face. His mouth was down turned in a scowl, and his hair was what Leo's mama had called "salt and pepper".

He wasn't as old as Leo had expected. Looking at his stubble covered face, Leo could have even called him handsome, at least for an older person. He looked like he could have been an actor in his younger days. Although his face was droopy and weathered, there was still a structure to it; high cheekbones, a sharp jaw. Leo could almost see the good looking ghost of the man Roberto had once been. His lips were still full, even though age had thinned them. Looking at them, Leo could see his mama. She had those same lips.

"Well?" He said gruffly. His breath smelled like cigars. "Are you coming in, or not?"

Leo felt his entire body relax, and he found that he almost collapsed to the ground. He realized then how incredibly stiff and worried he had been that Roberto would grab him and throw him to the grass. Leo's knees were shaking. He tried to swallow and found his throat was dryer than he could've ever imagined it could be.

Roberto shuffled back into his home, and Liz stepped into the door to follow. Leo took a very deep breath and went in after her. He closed the door behind him very quietly, slightly afraid that if he were too loud his great uncle would scream at him.

"So, is everything in order? You have enough food, enough drink? Clothes? Bedding?" Miss Liz asked with a smile while she faced Roberto. Roberto grimaced and nodded. Liz slapped her hands on her legs and grinned back at Leo.

"Okay then!" She breathed. The look on her face made Leo think she was eager to get out of there. "Leo, if you could wander, maybe check out the house, that would be wonderful. Your great uncle and I have a lot of private things to discuss before I leave."

Leo stared at her, and then glanced at Roberto. His great uncle looked down at him with hard eyes. Leo looked away. He glanced at Liz again and then sighed. He meandered away slowly, walking toward a hallway. He could hear the two adults as they began to talk; Miss Liz's voice was rather high and piercing while Roberto's was low and rough. Leo thought he could hear an accent in Roberto's.

Now that Leo was calmer, he allowed himself to really look around. The house was nice. It was well kept, but plain. There was a light beige carpet, and the walls were off white. There was minimal furniture, but the furniture that there was seemed to be very well taken care of and clean. The hallway Leo was slowly headed down had four doors, three of which were ajar.

He peered into the first. It was a bathroom. It had a sparkling white tile floor, a white shower curtain, and white towels. Everything was white. Even the toilet and sink appeared pristine, as if they were brand new.

Leo moved on, tracing his fingertips across the smooth painted walls as he went. He peeked into the next room. He assumed it was Roberto's bedroom. There was a king sized bed, which seemed a little unnecessary given Roberto was the only one sleeping in it. There was a quilt lying across the bed. It seemed to picture a rising sun. It was bright compared to the neutral colors of the room. It was a large room, and it was pretty empty, much like the rest of the house. There was a nightstand beside the bed and dresser beneath the bay window, which was draped with white curtains. But that was it. No books, no decorations, no pictures.

Leo was almost tempted to enter the room to investigate. He thought maybe that room could tell him more about the man who would be taking care of him. But Leo decided against it. He didn't want to face Roberto's anger if her were to get caught. He didn't know the man yet. He didn't know what to expect. All he did know was that he was a relative of Aunt Rosa's. That was enough to make him wary.

He walked to the next door, his feet skimming over the carpet softly. He peered inside. He guessed that this was his own room.

It was small, but in a comfortable way.

The walls were a very light yellow, and the carpet was beige. The bed was a single, like the one he had slept in back in the apartment. Its linens were white. Leo swallowed hard and entered the room. There was a bookcase tucked snugly into the corner beside the bed, but it was empty. A dresser was at the other side of the bed. Leo walked over to it and opened the drawers gingerly, one by one. Then he clambered up onto his new bed. He laid his head against a pillow. It was so soft. It felt so good. It was the first time Leo had lain in a real bed since the fire.

He felt his eyelids sliding closed as he stared up at the white textured ceiling.

"Leo."

Leo jumped and quickly sat up in his bed, as if he was afraid he had done something wrong.

Liz was at the door, her body leaning against the door frame.

"I'm going to head out, Leo. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Leo hesitated, then gave her a slight nod. He wasn't very sad to part with her. She wasn't the nicest lady he had ever met. But he was still nervous to be left alone with his great uncle. What if this had been an act?

 _Could he be waiting for Miss Liz to leave before he yells at me?_

"Alright then. Behave." Then she was gone.

* * *

"So," said Roberto with his slight accent. His voice was gravely. "We have much to speak about."

Roberto sat on a cushioned white chair across from Leo. Leo himself sat on a beige recliner.

"Yeah?" Leo choked out nervously. He shifted uncomfortably and wrung is hands. His back was stiffer than a board. He felt so tense. He was expecting something, anything, something violent even. He kept imagining Roberto lunging forward and punching him in the stomach. Or in the face. Or both.

"Si, Leo." He sighed. He leaned forward on his hands. Leo stiffened even more at the action. He felt himself press his back deep into his chair. "We need to talk about what's happened."

"You mean about my mom? She's dead." Leo said crossly. He felt it again. The anger. It bubbled red in his stomach.

 _What does he care? He's never even been there for us, nobody has. This whole family hates me. They all hated me then and they hate me even more now. If he was going to pretend to care about me and mama he should have done it before, before the fire, before everything. He should have helped us._

Then Leo held his breath, horrified. His great uncle would surely hurt him for being so rude.

Roberto furrowed his thick eyebrows and took a deep breath. He wasn't angry at how Leo had responded. He wan't angry at all. He looked a little sad. His eyes had softened since Liz had left. They looked kinder. Perhaps even worried. How could he look so much like he cared? He must have been acting. Lying.

"I mean, we have to talk about all of it Leo. _Everything._ Your madre, the fire, your Aunt Rosa." Roberto explained. Leo pursed his lips and rubbed his nose. This was confusing to him. He wasn't sure what he was feeling.

Or maybe it was just that he was feeling too much in the same moment.

This man in front of Leo was his relative. Although Leo was very suspicious about Roberto's intentions and his truthfulness, Leo still couldn't help but think maybe, just maybe, his great uncle cared what Leo felt. He seemed to want to help. He really did. He could be lying, but really, why lie? He had already gotten his chance to hurt Leo. It had come and gone.

 _So he really cares?_

That made Leo feel upset, and that in itself confused him. It also made him suspicious.

Leo was also confused by the fact that he wasn't all too affected by what his great uncle had just said.

"I lit the fire. I killed my mama. Aunt Rosa thinks I'm a demon bastard, more than she did before. I think everyone else in the family thinks that too." Leo said. Now, his voice was monotone. Most of his anger was disappearing as he stared into those kind brown eyes.

It was so different now. In just a couple of days he acted so differently when speaking of the fire. It bothered him to speak about it, but more than anything he just felt that awful rage when the thought of it crossed his mind. Either that or he felt almost nothing. Numb.

At the moment, it was the numb.

"I don't think that. And you shouldn't believe everything your tia says, Leo. She takes her anger out on others. And she should be more respectful of those born out of wedlock. I'm a bastard too, and I practically raised the girl."

Leo looked up at Roberto with large eyes. His body relaxed a little.

"You raised her? Does that mean you raised mama too?"

"Only for a little while. Mostly her father and mother did. I took Rosa in because her parents felt she needed to loosen up a little. She was always so unhappy as a child. She needed some fun."

"You're fun?" Leo asked with a slight smile, and he relaxed even more. Roberto chuckled heartily and sat back in his chair. He groaned as he reached over to a small round table and grabbed something from it. A cigar. Leo had seen the guys at the mechanic shop smoke them sometimes. They smelled weird. Roberto lit it and pulled it's smoke into his lips with a sigh. He breathed out the bluish mist to the side, away from Leo.

"Believe it or not, I can be a pretty interesting man. Your mom liked to visit me because of that reason. She was a very fun girl. _Too_ fun, sometimes. She could get herself into trouble."

Leo felt a warmth in his stomach that had nothing to do with anger.

"Mama got into trouble? She always told me to keep from doing anything bad." Leo started to relax into his chair. He liked Roberto. He had seemed intimidating at first, but as Leo talked to the man he saw that he was soft. He was kind. Though from experience he knew, sometimes kind people could do bad things too. They could be mean. They could lie.

"Only when she was much younger. When she was in school, other children would often make fun of her for being Mexican. She wasn't great at controlling her anger. She was constantly getting into fistfights. Though once she reached fifteen she really straightened out. She learned to ignore ignorance"

 _Ignorance? Mama said that's what the mean people are, right? The ones who say bad things because they don't understand?_

"Oh." Leo breathed. He sunk into his chair, feeling very relaxed for the first time in days. He looked at the window. The sky was lightening up. He thought he could see clouds in the distance, though. Maybe it would rain. Leo liked rain. It made him feel like he wouldn't lose control of his fire. It made him feel like he was safe.

Roberto looked out the window as well and made a distressed noise.

"I really hope those clouds don't start spitting. It makes my job difficult when it rains."

Leo asked, "Why? What's your job?"

"I own a Lawn care business."

Leo wrinkled his nose, and Roberto raised a questioning eyebrow. He frowned deeply.

"What is that face for?"

"Something my mama would say. She told me to never work on lawns. She said it's a job I would get bullied for."

"Bullied for? That is true, people look down on me often. But when they start acting as if they own the world, I just remind them; I own a business, they don't. That usually shuts them up."

Leo snorted, smiling brightly at Roberto. Then his face fell.

 _How can I be doing this? How can I be acting so happy? I killed mama and I act like nothing happened, I'm laughing like nothing happened._

 _I don't deserve to laugh._

 _I don't deserve to smile._

Roberto seemed to sense the change in Leo's mood.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about what happened to your mom, but we are going to have a long discussion sooner or later. If you are going to live here with me you will have to deal with yourself. I know you're not alright, and I don't expect you to be, but I'm going to help you out chico, even if nobody else will."

Leo stared at the mans face. He stared long and hard, his dark brown eyes looking at every line and every crevice in Roberto's expression.

" _Why do you care?_ " Leo hissed. It was back in a flash, that new anger. It flushed his face and filled his belly.

Roberto was unmoved.

"Because you're my family, _sobrino._ I look out for family. However troubled you are, I'll make things right. I looked out for your mama, and I will look out for you."

Leo was breathing hard, his pace racing. That acrid feeling was rushing through him, making him want to scream. But as he stared at that man, that man whose face was full of compassion, Leo's intense anger turned into an incredible sadness. A lump began to form in his throat, and he had to try incredibly hard not to fall on the ground and cry.

More than than sadness, though, it was relief.

And even though he was trying so very hard to keep from looking like a little baby in front of his new caretaker, those relieved tears fell from his eyes. He couldn't stop them, it was like something inside of Leo had just broken and everything was pouring out. Leo put his hands to his face and bent over, crying into his knees.

He felt a warm hand rest on his back.

"It's going to be better now, Leo. You'll be safe, here. I Promise."

Leo believed him.

* * *

 **Again, so sorry for the lateness, but I'm happy with the end result. Though there are still probably typos, I apologize. Please review you lovely people!**


	6. Mud

**Here's the newest chapter! I hope you guys like it! Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 **Thanks so so so much for the favorites and follows, and thank you so much for your reviews. They mean so much!**

 **Next update won't be until I don't even know. I'm hella busy with senior year. I keep moving the date back because I have no time. It should be soon that I next update.**

 **plltwpjohoofan - Do you mean where is he, or why isn't he mentioned? I assume he would have passed by this point, and as for mentioning, you'll see. Thanks for your review!**

* * *

 ** _Eight._**

* * *

Leo tried to smile.

It came out as a sort of grimace.

He stood at the front of a classroom, about twenty other children his age staring back at him with bored expressions. Though there was one girl with red pigtails who was grinning at him. Leo wasn't sure what she was so happy about. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. His stomach was full of butterflies. Not the good kind, but the kind that made you feel scared and made your heart race.

His new teacher smiled.

"Everybody, this is Leo Valdez. Leo moved here very recently, and I'm going to ask that you guys and girls are really nice to him." The middle aged school teacher said. She stood beside Leo with her hand on his shoulder.

"So Leo, at the start of the year all of my kids told us something interesting about themselves. What's one interesting thing about you?" She asked with a grin. Leo looked around at the other students. They were shifting in their desks. They were restless.

"Uh." Leo said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I can speak Spanish."

Immediately, Leo noticed a shift in the room. The kids were smiling now, whispering to each other, and one blond boy called out,

"That's so cool."

A chorus of "Yeah"s and "Can you teach me?"s rang throughout the classroom until the teacher, Mrs. Carpenter, told them to quiet down.

"I can't really teach you guys." Leo mumbled. "I know it because I was taught when I was a baby."

"Were you born in Spain?"

"My babysitter is from Costa Rica."

"Is Spanish better than English?"

"I was born in Texas." Leo said with a slight smile. "I'm not Costa Rican, I'm Mexican. And I dunno, sometimes. It's more fun."

A girl with glasses and long brown hair said, "My daddy says the Mexicans can't read."

Leo's face turned pink.

"I can read." He said strongly. The girl didn't seem fazed.

"My daddy says you guys are better off mowing lawns. He says you guys shouldn't go to school because he doesn't want to pay for a border bunny's education."

Leo opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it. He felt that if he said something, it would be very mean, and his mama told him that if you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all.

"Okay, that's enough questions for now." Mrs. Carpenter said with a nervous laugh. "Leo, that's your seat over there next to Jessica. Jessica, could you raise your hand?"

The girl with red pigtails smiled brightly as her hand shot up into the air. Leo quickly walked over to his desk and sat down, his face still burning. The teacher continued speaking, but Leo couldn't hear her, his ears were buzzing. He clenched his teeth as he thought about what that girl had said. He thought about it over and over, his anger growing each time he heard her utter _"My daddy says-"_

Then Leo took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and pictured something nice, a beach this time, like the one mama had taken him to on the fourth of July. There had been fireworks. He had loved the blue ones.

Earlier that morning before Leo had gone to school, Roberto had spoken to Leo about something, something very important according to the older man.

"Leo," he had said. "You will learn this in time, but I will tell you now so you can be prepared. A lot of the men and women in this neighborhood look down on me. They look at my skin color, they hear my accent, and they think I'm uneducated, less intelligent. I take care of their lawns, I make them beautiful, yet they treat me badly. It isn't fair, and sometimes they say very mean things, but I never respond, chiquito. I say nothing, because I have respect for myself."

"What about when you get angry?" Leo had asked, thinking of his own tendency to feel the emotion.

"When I get very mad and believe I may say something rude, I take a very deep breath, close my eyes, and think of something nice. That helps me feel better."

And so here was Leo, his eyes closed and his mind picturing the waves breaking on sand, his mama's warm hand grasping his own.

"Hey."

Leo opened his eyes and looked to his right. The redheaded girl was looking at him.

"My name's Jessica, but everyone calls me Jess. Do you wanna sit with me and my friends at lunchtime?" She asked with a hushed voice. The teacher was still talking at the front of the room.

Leo shrugged.

"Well if you don't you can play with us at recess. We play by the monkey bars."

"Maybe." Leo mumbled. He looked back at his desk.

"I'm sorry some of the others are so stupid."

Leo looked back at her. "It's fine. I just ignore them."

"Yeah, but it still hurts a person's feelings when mean things are said about them."

Leo looked at her more closely. Her eyes were a warm brown, and freckles were sprayed across her face.

"People make fun of my hair a lot, and my freckles too." She sighed. Then she smiled. "Maybe I can learn to ignore them like you."

"Jessica, stop talking." Mrs. Carpenter said. Jess's face turned beet red as she faced forward.

Leo almost laughed at her dismayed expression. He looked to his left, then, out the window beside his desk. There were trees in the distance, and between the trees and the school was a field of green grass. He felt the urge to jump out the window and sprint across the grass, into the trees, and away from all of these people. Even Roberto.

 _Why do you want to run away? Roberto is nice._

Leo didn't know why, he didn't know.

He just wanted to run.

* * *

The afternoon sun was relentless.

Leo leaned against a lone tree, but its dry branches did nothing to shield Leo from the heat. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, an action he seemed to be doing very often, and scuffed his sneaker on the parched dirt ground. He looked up for a moment, his dark eyes squinting in the harsh light.

Children were running around everywhere, laughing, screaming, and showing each other bugs and flowers that had been found in the grass.

It was recess time now, and Leo felt just as he had during lunch; uncomfortable. Uncomfortable, and fragile.

Not fragile like he could break at any moment and cry, but fragile like Leo felt like something small might set him off. Because although he kept thinking of nice things and taking really deep breaths, he couldn't stop thinking about what that girl had said.

He was realizing now what his mother had meant.

He was beginning to understand.

Leo looked toward the playground. Jess was standing near the monkey bars with a few other kids. She caught his eye and smiled, motioning him over. When he didn't move, she jogged toward him, her brilliantly white Keds kicking up dust.

"Hi Leo." She said, slightly out of breath. Leo nodded to her.

"Do you want to come over to the monkey bars? We're going to have a contest. Whoever can do the most pull-ups wins."

Leo snorted. The kids she seemed to be friends with were all thin and scraggly. He doubted this would go well.

"I guess I'd like to see that." Leo said with a slight smile. A smile lit up Jess's face and she grabbed Leo's arm. He allowed himself to be dragged over to the little group Jess was friends with.

Once they got there, Leo nearly groaned. These weren't just scrawny kids, they were _the_ scrawny kids; the misfits, the nerds, the kids that got picked on. Leo knew from experience that these were not the kids to make friends with if you were the new kid. That only made you a target as well.

There were two other girls and three boys.

The one girl was very small and had black hair, which was cut short in a bob. She looked at Leo then looked away quickly. Leo thought she might be shy, as she was looking at the ground and was clenching one arm tightly with the opposite hand. The other girl had her arm draped protectively over the shy girl's shoulder. As Leo scoped this one out, he realized the girls might be twins. This girl had the same black hair, the same huge grey eyes, and the same thin lips as the other. Her attitude was much different, however; confident, even combative. Her eyes locked with Leo's, and she smirked.

Two of the boys were very skinny, and one was slightly chubby. One had thick glasses and a bony frame, which Leo guessed he got teased for. The chubby one had bright red hair like Jessica's. The last had a large hooked nose and a pinched face.

Jess pointed to the girls and said, "This is Renee and Rebecca." Leo didn't know which name belonged to which twin. Then Jess turned her attention to the boys.

"The tall one with glasses is Ryan, the one with red hair is Jack, and the one that looks like a rat is Nathan."

"Hey!" Nathan yelled.

"I'm just kidding I'm just kidding." Jess laughed.

"No you're not." Ryan snickered.

"Be nice." Yelled one twin, Rebecca Leo thought, and Ryan stopped laughing.

"Everyone, this is Leo! He can speak Spanish, isn't that cool?" Jess exclaimed.

"Yeah." Jack said. "So why is he playing with us?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We're the nerds, Jess."

"No we aren't!"

Leo snorted and grinned slyly. "Yeah, you kind of are."

Jess glared at him.

"Sorry. Just being honest."

"If you have nothing nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all." Rebecca scoffed, and Leo's face fell. He was suddenly filled with an intense feeling of shame and guilt. He could remember what his mama had said. She had said that exact same thing.

And here Leo was being mean.

"I'm sorry." Leo whispered, his voice cracking. He stared at the dusty ground, and suddenly a hand was on his shoulder.

"No, no. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so mean to you, you are new after all." Rebecca said. Leo shook her hand off with a shrug. He tousled his dark curls and took a deep breath.

"So," he started. "Who's going first?"

Jack walked up to the ladder and began to climb. When he made it to the top, he rubbed his hands together and stuck his tongue out in concentration. Then he reached up to the first bar and let himself hang. The others, Leo included, surrounded him.

Jack took a deep breath and pulled himself up on the first pull-up. Then another. And another. Leo was surprised to see how many he could do. Sweat beaded on Jack's forehead, and his short cropped ginger hair blazed like fire in the sunlight. The thought of fire made Leo shiver, and he pushed idea out of his mind.

"Wow, he's still going, what is that, eleven?" Ryan said, impressed.

Then Jack dropped to the ground, landing on his butt, breathing hard. He let himself flop onto his back and he smiled up at them.

"Twelve. Twelve is the number to beat."

"I'm next." Jess said as she scrambled to the top of the ladder. She expertly grabbed a bar and began her pull-ups, moving much faster than Jack had. The ginger boy groaned as he watched her. He rose from the ground and looked at Leo.

"She's the best at pull-ups." He stated. Leo laughed. He thought he liked Jack.

"Hey, let me have a go. I know I can do more than you carrot top." A loud voice said from behind them. They turned around and all of them but Leo groaned.

A tall blond boy was standing there with his hands on his hips like a superhero. Another boy with brown hair was beside him. They both looked old, and they both looked strong.

"That's Jeremy." Becca whispered.

"He's a sixth grader." Jack sighed.

"He hates us."

Jess still hadn't stopped doing her pull-ups. A thin sheen of sweat was on her brow.

"Come on, Jessie, get down. I'm going to show you how it's done." Jeremy said louder. Jess didn't stop. Jeremy walked through the other kids and stood right under Jess.

"I said get down!" He yelled, and he grabbed her ankle, yanking her harshly from the bar. She cried out as she landed hard on her back, coughing. Jeremy jumped up to a bar, not even having to use the ladder.

"What is wrong with you?" Jess gasped from the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

"Nothing. I just want to show you that a little girl isn't stronger than me."

"Really? Well good luck with that you jerk. I did thirty six of them before you pulled me down." Jess said with a smile. She got to her feet and walked over to the other kids. Rebecca hugged her and asked if she was okay.

They all watched Jeremy do his pull-ups. Even Jeremy's friend stood with his arms crossed, his eyes trained on the blond boy's body.

Leo was counting.

Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty. Thirty-one.

Thirty-two.

Then Jeremy dropped to the ground, his face red with effort.

"There you little runt. I beat you." Jeremy said. Jess groaned.

"No you didn't." Leo said.

"What did you say?" Jeremy asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I said you didn't beat her. You only did thirty two."

"You wanna say that again?"

"Are you deaf?"

"No, gravelbelly, I have perfect hearing. I was just confused because you think you can count."

Leo ground his teeth and moved toward Jeremy before stopping himself. Jeremy smirked.

"I can count." Leo hissed. The other kids backed away a little.

"Leo, just shut up." Jess whispered from behind him.

"In Spanish, maybe. But in English we do it differently, you see. You must have gotten mixed up, you scrawny mudman." Jeremy growled as he stepped closer to Leo. The older boy was at least two feet taller.

Leo bristled.

"I can count in both you dimwit!" Leo yelled.

"See now you _must_ be lying, because Mexicans don't even get educated. They just sit around on street corners drinking booze and then they go to work mowing our lawns. Oh yeah, Leo, I was meaning to ask, are you doing anything Saturday? My grass is getting high."

Leo's face felt like it was on fire. He felt his fingernails digging into his palms as his stomach, and then his entire body, filled with rage. He had never been this angry. He was trembling with the emotion.

"Cállate, pedazo de basura!" Leo yelled.

Jeremy laughed. "Is that what you said when you snuck over the border?"

Then Leo's hand flew forward, crashing into Jeremy's jaw.

* * *

 **The end to another chapter! Sorry for grammar mistakes in both my English and Spanish. The the twins are named after a pair of twins I myself am best friends with.**

 **I hate racism so much it makes my blood boil. Poor Leo. Please leave a review, it makes me so happy!**

 **And did anyone else have tons of trouble the last few days? Fanfiction kept telling me there were no views on my last chapter even though some of you guys reviewed it...weird. I hope it doesn't happen again.**


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